Thyroid healing with minerals

A slow thyroid is a an overlooked cause of digestive issues. Thyroid function has a huge impact on gut function, motility and digestion.

When the thyroid slows down it can cause chest pain, low stomach acid, poor nutrient absorption, constipation, gallstones, anemia and bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine (SIBO).

Thyroid issues are under diagnosed. Often doctors don’t run a test for all the markers to get a full picture of thyroid function and some people have subclinical hypothyroidism, which is missed by doctors.

Subclincal hypothyroidism is when hormone numbers are below optimal and cause symptoms, but not in the range where doctors diagnose hypothyroidism and prescribe hormones to ease symptoms. In other words, your thyroid may still be affecting gut function without a doctor’s diagnosis.

Because of my own thyroid issues I understand how to read a thyroid blood test and address thyroid hormone imbalance before it becomes severe.

There are many ways to support your thyroid naturally. But the first step is knowing your numbers.

Recently my thyroid hormones went out of a healthy range and I was able to bring them back to normal with supplementation and the strategic use of minerals.

There is also a close connection between the health of the adrenals and the thyroid so supporting one will improve the function of the other.

20 years ago and anti inflammatory diet and mineral balancing cured my IBS. Recently I have used mineral balancing to bring my thyroid back into balance.

Your thyroid dictates how much energy you have, your weight, your temperature control and your skin and hair health. It can also disrupt sleep and cause mood issues.

The thyroid needs certain minerals and nutrients to thrive, particularly zinc, magnesium, selenium and iodine. They are building blocks for healthy thyroid function. We are either don’t get enough of these minerals or burn through them when we are stressed. Knowing your mineral status is a good way to keep on top of your thyroid health and prevent thyroid issues that are waiting to happen.

The story of how I balanced my thyroid with minerals is below. It is a great opportunity to teach about the importance of the thyroid and how to best support it.

Reversing subclinical hypothyroidism with minerals

Seven months ago, I gained 8 to 10 pounds in a few months and my energy began to wane. I took a complete thyroid blood test that I self ordered. It checks for TSH, T3, T4, FreeT3, Free T4, reverse T3 and TPO antibodies. My TSH was above ideal at 3.5 and my free T3 (the active thyroid hormone) was below ideal range. TSH at below 2 is ideal. Mine was 3.5. At this levels doctors feel comfortable prescribing thyroid hormones to speed things up to prevent I preferred to go the natural route.

My reverse T3 showed that I was not converting T4 to T3 very well. You need magnesium to convert T4 to T3 well. My hair tissue mineral analysis test showed I was low on magnesium.

It also indicated that I needed more iodine and zinc.

I supplemented with magnesium glycerinate, and also rubbed a magnesium lotion on my feet at night. I used a magnesium supplement with boron that helps get magnesium into the cell.

I started taking 150 mg of iodine and eating more seafood and added seaweed to my diet.

I also added 20 mg of zinc and 500 mg of l-tyrosine. Vegetarians or people with poor digestion can be low in zinc.

I also supported my adrenals, because when they lack the nutrients they need it can slow the thyroid down.

The adrenals need enough potassium and sodium to work well. I supplemented both using 1 or 2 scoops of Jigsaw Health’s adrenal cocktail powder which contains a food-based source of vitamin C. The adrenals love vitamin C. I also took adaptogens like ashwagandha and tulsi to help my body fight stress.

I sprinkled my food with Redmond’s sea salt and added more potassium rich foods like avocados, bananas, coconut water, potatoes, spinach, dried apricots beets.

To lower inflammation I sipped on turmeric-rich golden milk at night. My favorite recipe is in my Treats That Heal cookbook.

Lastly, I focused on stabilizing my blood sugar, by eating more protein and never eating carbs alone without fat or protein. Unstable blood sugar is a huge stressor to the adrenals.

To help balance blood sugar and support the thyroid I put a scoop of inositol powder in my tea in the morning.

I use inositol and selenium supplementation (200 mg daily) to slash my thyroid antibodies in half. They are low but these herbs lowered them even further.

The retest

I just retested my thyroid levels and everything is back to normal. TSH was below 2.92 and my FreeT3 was 2.9.

Aside from supplements, spending more time outside and getting more rest are highly underrated interventions. Being constantly or overly busy or not spending enough time outdoors takes a toll on the thyroid, adrenals and sex hormones.

Thyroid are more common during big hormonal shifts like menopause, pregnancy or puberty. These life transitions can be triggers for thyroid issues.

I love to use my own real life experiences to teach about how the systems of the body is connected. The thyroid, adrenals and gut closely affect each other.

My protocol simplified

I put the herbs I used for thyroid and adrenal function in a Fullscript template. There are 6 herbs in total.

To join Fullscript, click here and create a user name and password. To find the thyroid supplement template you go to the My Health section. Under the community plan tab are my supplement plans.

Sometimes healing is not about killing the bad guys, but rather giving the body the support it needs to function like it was designed to.

Antimicrobials won’t work as well if the immune system is lacking zinc and other cofactors to function optimally. The herbs help the immune system do its job.

And without good thyroid or adrenal function you may not have the energy to heal.

Happy hormones start with giving the body what it really needs. Rest. Play. Connection. Nutrients. Movement. Sleep. And happy hormones support gut health.